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Aligning business interests and environmental goals: Electric motorbikes in Kisumu in Kenya


Concerns about deteriorating air quality, carbon dioxide pollution, and congestion is pushing cities and regions in Africa to introduce electric vehicles, particularly electric two wheelers. Kisumu County in western Kenya is the latest region on the African continent to move towards adoption of electric motorcycles as part of its efforts to provide clean mobility options. In July, Kisumu make a beginning towards providing clean transport services with 50 electric motorcycles.

The Kisumu pilot is part of the United Nations Environment project, “Integrating Electric Two- and Three- Wheelers into Existing Urban Transport Modes in Developing and Transitional Countries”. The project is funded by the German government and Chinese electric motorbike manufacturer TAILG Group, which has signed an agreement with the UN agency for promoting clean mobility in East Africa, will be providing the vehicles.

For Kisumu, the worsening air quality and road congestion are the driving forces behind the adoption of electric motorcycles. Making the announcement on the side lines of the fourth United Nations Environment Assembly at Nairobi, Kisumu country governor Anyang Nyong’o explained that the decision was taken as air quality in the region continued to worsen as vehicular traffic continued to grow and efforts to de-congest Kisumu, particularly Kisumu City, have not yielded results. “Even after the bypass, Kisumu continues to be congested, the traffic is increasing. For every car, one passes by five to ten motorcycles, and the fumes from the motorcycles are harmful for people,” said Kisumu Governor Nyong’o.

It became clear to the county officials is tackling the motorcycle traffic was central to addressing the problem of poor air quality ensuing from high levels of vehicular emissions due to growing traffic congestion. “What became clear is that the situation is not sustainable. So we decided it is necessary to invest in a modern transport system. It is during the discussions on how to put this system in place that the idea of moving to electric motorbikes came up,” explained Governor Nyong’o. The Kisumu governor stressed that such initiatives are important for addressing the problems of pollution and help keep people healthy.

This decision by Kisumu to begin taking steps to shift to clean modes of transport was described by German State Secretary for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Jochen Flasbarth as “concrete” step that went beyond “generic” debates. Stressing that there was a need to address the transport sector in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the German minister said that transport accounts for a third of emissions. “We have to move to a system where apart from non-powered mobility options the largest share will be electric.” But such projects are not just about decarbonising traffic. “It has an impact on air quality and health,” said Flasbarth.

This shift, said Rob de Jong, head of mobility unit at UN Environment, will reduce costs by half, and will be economical and resource efficient as electrical motorcycles last longer. Additionally, the infrastructure requirements for electrical motorcycles are low. “Besides the economic benefits of lower costs, the shift from internal combustion to electric motorcycles will help reduce dependence on fossil fuels, which will result in improved air quality and reduced climate emissions,” said de Jong.

Jayson Huang of the TAILG Group said that solar power would among the options used for powering these motorbikes.

There are concerns that focus on electric motorbikes could detract from putting in place a modern mass public transit system. Both German State Secretary Flasbarth and Kisumu Governor Nyong’o stressed that this would not be the case. “We need to recognise that motorcycles are already an important element of the transit system. Also putting a mass transit system in rural areas has not been successful,” said Nyong’o.

While building a clean, reliable, affordable mass transit system is important for future mobility, the transition to decarbonised transport in Africa cannot disregard the key role of motorbikes. A recent study by George Mark Onyango of the School of Planning and Architecture at Maseno University in Kenya documents the massive growth of informal settlements in Kisumu. These settlements are home to more than half of Kisumu city’s population, particularly the poor. However, these settlements are unplanned, therefore, have poor road infrastructure. This makes it difficult for public transport minibuses to operate in these areas. For the urban poor who comprise the bulk of the population in these settlements the boda boda or motorcycle taxis are the only available form of motorised transport. This situation is not unique to Kisumu.

Investing in road infrastructure in these areas is clearly a need, in many cases creating the infrastructure for public mass transit options like buses may prove to be difficult requiring substantial funding. “In areas where the city or urban area is already built it is difficult to inject a public transport, particularly bus, system. In such cases, it is necessary to consider alternatives like cleaner motorbikes,” said Flasbarth.

As mobility needs rise, in the absence of a bus system or roads that can support one, the number of motorbikes plying on the roads goes up. Aside from the nature of the urban development, the collapse of public transport, congestion and the rise in disposable income has spurred the proliferation of motorcycles. Moving to electric motorbikes will help reduce vehicular emissions and the attendant health hazards. According to de Jong, electric motorbikes must be seen as the stepping stone to introducing electric cars and buses.

Pegging the transition to clean mobility on electric motorbikes could have a visible impact given that Africa as the highest rate of growth for motorcycles. It is this growing demand that the Chinese motorbike manufacturer hopes to capture as it seeks to expand its business in East Africa. Huang said that the company has plans to expand to Ethiopia and Uganda after setting base in Kenya. Besides Kenya, UN Environment is implementing similar projects in Ethiopia, Uganda, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.





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